Draft-equalizer.



J. WINTGENS. DRAFT EQUALIZBR.

APPLIOATION FILED JANA. 1906.

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mvewbo z 9/91/24 I In? PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

' J. WINTGENS. DRAFT BQUALIZER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. 1906.

PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I gmvewtoz wi/wmooep JO OA ZQ l W 23%?949714 Wag. I Q g W 4 f 1 I IUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DRAFT-EQUALIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

Application filed January 4, 1906. Serial No. 294,608.

such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains tomake and use the distributed.

\Vith the above and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement ofparts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of adraft-equalizer constructed in accordance with the invention andarranged for twenty-four horses. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of therear and one of the supplemental draft-bars and equalizer. Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in thedirection of the arrow, and Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 4 4 ofFig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the maindraft-bar, arranged at the inner end of the tongue 2 of the vehicle ormachine to which the equalizer is applied.

3 denotes a series of supplemental draftbars, of which there may be anydesired number, arranged one above the other, as shown in Fig. 1.

The draft-bars 1 and 3 are each preferably formed of upper and lowerparallel bars suitably connected together. Pivotally mounted between theupper and lower bars of the main draft-bar 1, on each side of the centerthereof, is a pair of equalizing-levers 4E. The equalizing-levers 4 ofthe main draft-bar 1 are pivotally connected near their inner ends tothe tongue 2 by means of connecting rods or links. To the extreme innerends of said equalizing-levers 1 are connected links 6, the

outer ends of which are connected to a draft chain, cable, or otherflexible draft element 7. The opposite end of the latter is connected tothe inner ends of links 8, which are in turn connected to theequalizing-levers 9, pivotally connected to the supplemental draftbars3. To the inner ends of the levers 9 of each of the supplementaldraft-bars 3 are links 10, the outer ends of which are connected bychains or cables 12 with the equalizinglevers 9 of the next supplementaldraft-bars ahead, except at the end of the equalizer, where said chainor cable is connected to a whiflietree 13, to the ends of which areconnected swingletrees 14. The links 8 at the outer ends of eachsuccessive chain or cable are-connected to the next forwardequalizinglevers at the points nearer to the pivotal connection of saidequalizing-levers on each successive draft-bar, thereby increasing theleverage of each successive pairs of equalizinglevers from the inner tothe outer end of the draft device. Pivotally mounted between the outerends of the upper and lower bars of the main draft-bar are draft-trees15, the pivotal connection of said draft-trees in the draft-bars beingsuch that the inner end of the trees are of considerably greater lengththan the outer portion of the same. To the longer inner end of thedraft-tree 15 are connected swingletrees 16, and to the outer shorterends of said draft-trees are connected whiflletrees 17, to the ends ofwhich are connected swingletrees 18.

In the outer ends of each of the supplemental draft-bars 3 are pivotallyconnected draft-trees 19, said draft-trees being pivotally connected tothe supplemental draftbars at the point nearer the outer ends of thesame, so that the inner end or portion of the draft-trees isconsiderably longer than the outer portion thereof. To said inner andouter ends of the draft-trees 19 are connected whiflietrees 20, to theends of which are connected swingletrees 21.

By providing an equalizer constructed and arranged as herein shown anddescribed the draft will be evenly distributed to all the teams hitchedthereto, and while the device is shown in the drawings as arranged forhitching twenty-four horses it is obvious that the capacity of the samemay be increased or diminished without affecting the principal oroperating qualities of the device.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion,

otal connections with said draft-bar's from the inner to the outer endsof said draft elements, whiffietrees connected to one end of each ofsaid draft-bars, swingletrees connected to each end of each of saidwhifiEletrees, and swingletrees connected to the opposite ends of saidwhiffietrees, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witand the minor'd'etails' of construction may be resortedto without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of theadvantages of this invention as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a main draftbar, of a seriesof supplemental draft-bars, a pair of equalizing-levers adjustnesses.

ably and pivotally connected at one of their JOSEPH WIN TGEN S. ends oneach of said draft-bars, flexible draft l/Vitnesses:

G. S. HOFFMAN,

elements connecting said equalizing-levers at HOWARD G. CosGRoVE.

successively greater distances from their piv-

